SPORT | IN BRIEF February 22, 2010 Murray wins on Dubai return TENNIS: Britain’s Andy Murray made a winning return to action in his first match since finishing runner-up at last month’s Australian Open. Murray beat Russian Igor Kunitsyn 6-2, 6-3 to reach the second round of the Dubai Championship. Novak Djokovic, who assumed top seed status after Roger Federer withdrew, also [...]
THREE OTHER MEATY RESTAURANTS February 22, 2010 MAZE GRILL Jason Atherton’s more casual offshoot of Maze, the emphasis here is on steak, though everything else is good too. A waiter appears with a bundle of raw meat, from which you choose what appeals. There’s a range of British and American beef of different ages, and Wagyu. Not cheap, but certainly delicious. 10 [...]
Uralchem and Acision to IPO February 22, 2010 THE collapse of a string of high-profile flotations has not deterred two Russian-backed companies, Uralchem and Acision, from drawing up plans to list in London. Uralchem, Russia’s largest fertiliser manufacturer, has appointed three investment banks to advise on an initial public offering that will raise around $400m (£259m). UBS, Morgan Stanley and Renaissance Capital have [...]
Roman puts Spurs back in driving seat February 21, 2010 WIGAN ATHLETIC (0) v/s TOTTENHAM (3) FORGOTTEN man Roman Pavlyuchenko reminded manager Harry Redknapp and suitors alike of his talent with a two-goal cameo that thrust Tottenham back in front in the scramble for fourth place. Jermain Defoe put the visitors ahead in controversial fashion but it was Pavlyuchenko, without a league start all season, [...]
Rusal’s float goes sour as shares plunge February 18, 2010 Shares in Rusal tumbled nearly seven per cent yesterday, meaning the world’s largest aluminium producer has shed more than a third of its initial public offering (IPO) price in a month. Ever-present uncertainties surrounding the group’s chief executive and major shareholder Oleg Deripaska which caused retail investors to be banned from the original float are [...]
Russia set to ban BP from field February 17, 2010 The Kremlin look set to strip BP’s Russian venture of the right to develop a massive Siberian gas field. The Russian environment watchdog said TNK-BP should not be allowed to develop the Kovykta field. Analysts say the move to block BP could further damage Russia’s standing with investors.
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS February 17, 2010 HSBC Private Bank The bank has appointed Paul Forshaw as head of real estate fund management. Forshaw was previously part of a team responsible for real estate proprietary investment at failed Icelandic bank Kaupthing, investing joint venture equity in the UK, US and emerging markets. Prior to that, he spent time at property groups Knight [...]
Investors go back to fundamentals as they lose their taste for carry February 16, 2010 IN THE second half of 2009, the dollar-funded carry trade was the primary strategy used to play the foreign exchange markets. The low interest rates set by the Federal Reserve combined with the weakening of the greenback meant that traders were happy to sell low-yielding dollars in search of higher-yielding currencies such as the Australian [...]
Indy extends Lebedev deadline February 15, 2010 Publishing group Independent News & Media said yesterday it had extended talks with Russian billionaire Alexander Lebedev over the future ownership of its two loss-making national newspapers. The group, which entered into an exclusive non-binding agreement with Lebedev regarding its titles in December, extended the deadline to 26 Feb to bring discussions to a successful [...]
Ikea sacks two Russian executives for failing to stamp out corruption February 15, 2010 Swedish furniture retailer Ikea sacked two executives for turning a blind eye to bribery by a subcontractor in Russia, just months after it halted expansion in the country because of bureaucratic hurdles. Ikea’s Russia spokeswoman said the group had dismissed its general director for Russia and Eastern Europe and another senior director. Bribery is a [...]